Customer Reviews

Roughing It (Mark Twain Library)

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This "Mark Twain Project" paperback edition of ROUGHING IT is by far the best version for most readers. It is an excellent value. The 200 pages of "Explanatory Notes" at the end, add greatly to the modern reader's understanding of the 1860's "Wild West". The Early Western Mining Frontier comes vividly and colorfully to life, thanks to the Explanatory Notes' full illumination of the fascinating, often hilarious, eyewitness account of young Sam Clemens.

The 21st century reader now sees the momentous impact of Samuel Colt's "Navy Revolver" on frontier society, fully comprehends a "Stamp Mill's" importance to the silver mines of the Comstock Lode, and is in complete agreement about the "thoroughbrace's" necessity to the Overland Stage traveler's comfort! This edition also contains all 304 first edition illustrations, another great aid allowing the modern reader to take a virtual walk into a vanished time.

In the "Foreword" to this edition, Editor Harriet Elinor Smith notes, " The vernacular style of ROUGHING IT often seems surprisingly fresh to modern readers.....". I'm betting that many readers, younger ones especially, may approach this book with dread, only to become immersed in the rollicking adventure, and reach the end of ROUGHING IT with regret. The readers who return for a second, third or more reading, will discover many levels of depth to ROUGHING IT that will continue to entertain and educate reading after reading, year after year.

From the "Foreword" to this edition, Editor Smith also observes, "Although readers have long been entertained by ROUGHING IT, it has gradually become part of all serious study of American culture. Students of history have come to rely on it for accurate information about the period, and it has played a major role in shaping the myth of the "Wild West".......No examination of American popular culture would be complete without Mark Twain's imaginative reminiscence of what it was like to be "on the ground in person"".

So, if you are tired of all this bickering between the North and South, and feel it may be healthier to get away from the tensions, I hear tell there's a great silver strike in a new territory called "Nevada", near a place called "Virginia City". It's July 1861 and there is an Overland Stage westbound, St Joseph, Missouri to Carson City, Nevada Territory.

Buckle on your Navy Colt and climb aboard!

(born Nov.1835, Florida, Mo.,US-died April 21,1910, Redding,Conn.)
-humorist,writer and lecturer.

'ROUGHING IT'is Twain's decription of his adventures in Nevada,Califonia,and the Sandwich Islands originally published in (1872).After the immediate success of the publication of 'THE INNOCENTS ABROAD'which firmly established Twain's reputation as a writer he was spurned on by the AMERICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY to bring out a volume based on his experiences in the west.Thus, 'ROUGHING IT' was created.A highly entertaining and humurous narrative of his escapades in the Western United States towards the end of the 19th Century.

A little taste:

from (copyright 1979 Running Press)

This is the before and after descriptions of a company of men lost in a snow storm-with little or no hope of survival.

Before (impending doom)
"...Poor Ollendorff broke down and the tears came.He was not alone,for I
was crying too,and so was Mr. Ballou.Ollendorff forgave me for things
I had done and said.Then he got out his bottle of whisky and said that whether he lived or died he would never touch another drop.He said he had given up all hope of life,and although ill-prepared,was ready to submit humbly to his fate-----------Mr.Ballou made remarks of similar purport,and began the reform he could not live to continue,by throwing away his ancient pack of cards--------My own remarks were of the same tenor as those of my comrades.We were all sincere,and all deeply moved and earnest,for we were in the precense of death and without hope.I threw away my pipe,and in doing it,I felt that at last I was free of a hated vice and one that had ridden me like a tyrant all my life.We put our arms around each other's necks and awaited the warning drowziness that occurs with death by freezing.

After-(Alive and Well)

After breakfast we felt better,and the zest of life soon came back.The world looked bright again,and existence was as dear to us as ever.Presently and uneasiness came over me-grew upon me-assailed me without ceasing.Alas,my regeneration was not complete-I wanted to smoke!
I resisted with all my strength,but the flesh was weak.I wandered away alone and wrestled with myself for an hour.I recalled my promises of reform and preached to myself persuasively,unbraidingly,exaustively.But all was in vain,I shortly found myself sneaking amoung the snowdrifts hunting for my pipe.I discovered it after a considerable search,and crept away to hide myself to enjoy it.At last I lit my pipe,and no human can feel meaner and baser than I did then.I was ashamed of being in my own pitiful company.Still dreading discovery,I felt that perhaps the further side of the barn would be somewhat safer,and so I turned the corner.As I turned the corner,smoking,Ollendorff turned the other with his bottle to his lips,and between us sat unconscious Ballou deep in a game of "solitaire" with the old greasy cards..."

Turn to Chapters 22 and 23 for a more cohesive description of this comic episode. Laughter is good medicine,and this is a fun read on one of those gloomy days you might encounter along your way. Enjoy.Good health!

It is a testament to Mark Twain's greatness that his non-fiction is as readable - and even as entertaining - as his fiction. He makes sure to structure it like a story, making it utterly absorbing and often humorous, but he also includes a wealth of information; we learn as much as in any history book, and the writing is of course infinitely better. One would be very hard-pressed to find another author of whom this can be said.

Roughing It, his immortal Wild West memoir, is a preeminent example. After deserting a half-hearted Confederate militia during the Civil War, Twain went to the Nevada territory with his brother, who had a political position there. Twain makes even the long stagecoach ride from Missouri fascinating; many thousands made such a journey, and this is one of the best primary sources. We see much about both the interesting scenery and the dangers - imagine crossing mountains on a stagecoach! -, including a deeply insightful and hilarious look at early Mormons. Twain then gives an utterly absorbing inside peek at the fledgling territory, encompassing everything from frontier mores to politics. This was a crucial American history era, and Twain's deft first-hand account is absolutely invaluable; anyone interested in what it was like to live on the frontier and/or how its inhabitants thought and acted is in for a real treat. Twain vividly describes what made the life so exciting; his account is so vibrant that it is a large part of the reason Americans romanticize the Wild West. He can almost be said to have single-handedly begun a myth - an enduringly powerful one at that. However, he also focuses on its oft-overlooked dark side, not least the discrimination faced by Chinese among others. It is easy to forget that the Wild West was astoundingly cosmopolitan, but Twain's descriptions of various ethnic groups - including Native Americans - is a powerful reminder. Many of his observations are now far from politically correct, but his honesty is refreshing - the kind of thing that simply can no longer be found. It is easy to be offended, but his unadorned comments often have valuable insight. Above all, though, we see how Twain was one of his era's great liberals even at this early stage. He truly sympathized with these downtrodden ethnic groups as well as the down and out generally, showing how advanced he was despite epitomizing his time.

Roughing soon moves well beyond Nevada, encompassing the all-important San Francisco and even Hawaii. The former depiction is of great interest, including some famous California weather remarks and - yes - an earthquake; we get a good sense of what made the city so central. Some think the long Hawaii section inferior, but it has undeniably great merit. Twain describes a place almost unimaginably alien to his initial readers so vibrantly that it almost seems as if we are there, and they must have been considerably more wonderstruck. Many famous Hawaii sites - including volcanoes - are here in picturesque detail, and Twain's feelings for the natives were truly far ahead of their time.

More famous than all this are of course Twain's own adventures. This is the source of his legendary silver mining, an utterly enthralling account of a key American event that leaves no doubt just why such things excited so many. Twain tells us much about the phenomenon and entertains with his usual self-deprecating humor. We then learn of his newspaper days, which are significant in being his first writing experience, but a frontier journalist's life was exciting in itself. Roughing then describes the beginnings of Twain's fame, specifically his first lectures. His account of great nervousness and doubt before his initial attempt is required reading for anyone scared by public speaking and a moving account of personal triumph, though the ever humble Twain of course does not put it so. Roughing is thus essential for anyone interested in Twain's life; it has a wealth of autobiographical material from a seminal time that led to much of his writing. It is also thus a sort of bildungsroman. Twain of course greatly exaggerates his initial ignorance and naiveté, but he clearly learned much and acquired some admirable wisdom, some of it hard-won. He is a character at least as memorable as any of his fictional ones, and we truly feel with and for him because his writing is so lively and engaging.

This is not to say he is the only interesting character - far from it. The Wild West was after all full of interesting people, and Twain acquaints us with many. All are vividly drawn, and most are amusing; several are simply unforgettable. Also, though this is non-fiction, Twain's unparalleled dialogue brilliance is already on very strong display. He accurately captures the speech of a wide variety of people, and the dialogue is often hilarious. As always with him, Roughing is also full of eminently readable tangents giving a chance to display signature wit and insight; few have probed life and humanity more deeply, and we are lucky to have his wisdom. Twain takes on a wide variety of subjects, making serious points even as he amuses. Roughing would be of immense importance even if it had none of this, though, as it is an invaluable American folklore treasure trove.

Roughing is quite simply essential for anyone at all interested in American literature; it is essential Twain, meaning it is simply essential.

Okay, I'm going to give this book two stars, but it must be quickly pointed out that this book, especially in this fine edition, has a number of five star qualities. Or at least, it's got a string of five star chapters.

In a nutshell, this starts off being a terrific book. The opening chapters on Twain's stagecoach ride through the American west are laden with some of his best acerbic wit and the narrative is simple but compelling. The view you get from the stage coach is of another world, a bygone one that will never come back, and it's amazing. His chapter on the Mormon Bible is a masterpiece of understated satire. Indeed, a lot of his funniest stuff is subtle, a few words laced with a bit of irony.

But then the book takes a dive when his journey to the west lands him in Carson City, Nevada. From that point forward looking for nuggets of Twain's wit becomes a bit like panning for gold. Yes, it continues to be Twain, and his reportage and his humorist's eye continue to pull themselves together at intervals. Those interested in his life story will find intriguing details that have a bit of truth to them.

But unfortunately, one becomes aware that he is trying to write a very long book very quickly and there is way too much here that is padding or filler. It's a tough slog. And what happened to his sharp sense of humor? Suddenly it's become terribly broad, as if he's writing for a completely different audience than he wrote the first part of the book for.

The last bit of wind gets let out of the balloon when he takes a trip to Hawaii. There's a nice scene or two, but at this point the narrative loses any personal dimension at all. He's doing travel writing with a few odd jokes and observations tossed in. He's cribbing pages and pages from someone else's history of the Hawaiian people, who he seems not to have had any interactions with worth mentioning.

I'm no Twain scholar, I don't know what happened. Anyway, the first part of the book should be read by everyone, it's great. This edition is also really great. The notes are copious and interesting, the maps are useful. But I don't think anyone should hesitate to put the book aside a third of the way through, it's not worth it.

This book also has the original illustrations as well as pages and pages of notes. A must for the history of early Nevada and California!

Although the culture of consumerism didn't fully develop in the United States until the latter part of the 19th century, it began to emerge at the same time that tourism did. As early as 1865, the nation's tourist attractions became consumer items promoted by the railroads and stagecoach companies. We get a taste for what tourism west of the Mississippi was like in the mid-19th century from Mark Twain, who wrote a veritable On the Road for the stagecoach in Roughing It.

This lively account of his actual and imagined adventures takes place on a trip from Missouri to Nevada in 1861. As expected, few writers sketch a more vivid picture of the men who graced the tours with their less-than-urbane services. Twain pays particularly keen attention to the stagecoach superintendent, who "was a very, very great man in his "division"--a kind of Grand Mogul, a Sultan of the Indies, in whose presence common men were modest of speech and manner, and in the glare of whose greatness even the dazzling stage-driver dwindled to a penny dip." But Twain's real admiration was reserved for "my delight, the driver...We took a new driver every day or every night (for they drove backward and forward over the same piece of road all the time, and therefore we never got well acquainted with them...and besides, they would have been above being familiar with such rubbish as passengers."

The stages weren't the only transcontinental services to be glamorized; the mail and freight carriers were too, and naturally Mark Twain had an unparalleled insight into these mythic riders, especially the riders of The Pony Express: "No matter what time of the day or night his watch came on, and no matter whether it was winter or summer, raining, snowing, hailing, or sleeting, or whether his `beat' was a level straight road or a crazy trail over mountain crags and precipices, or whether it led through peaceful regions or regions that swarmed with hostile Indians, he must always be ready to leap into the saddle and be off like the wind!"

Nine years after these passages were written, however, Twain's observations were already to be made obsolete. In May 1869, the Union Pacific announced the grand opening of the Union Pacific railroad that "traveled clear through to San Francisco in less than four days," the announcements proclaimed, and with "no dangers from the sea."

This book is a mixture of hilarious misadventures and glimpses into what the "old west" must have been really like.

Mark Twain's second book is an improvement over the Innocents Abroad. He humorously describes an overland trip he took from St Louis to California, and also a trip to Hawaii, back then called the "Sandwich Islands". I enjoyed this book for its historical portrayal of life 150 years ago. Some things have never changed, while others, like stagecoach travel, sounds so dated. Like the pace of his journey, the pace of the book is slow. Apparently people back then had far more time at their disposal. The prose is wordy and loquacious, and entire chapters are devoted to trivial diversions that have nothing to do with the trip - anecdotes and jokes which may be funny, but make the book lose it's focus. At that stage of his career Mark Twain lacked the selectivity that makes for good writing - he wanted to get any idea he had on paper, as if the book is just a collection of jokes. Of course, these diversions dulled the booked and made it a challenge to plod through its hundreds of pages. Many parts of the book were funny.

His description of Hawaii and Hawaiian history seems one-sided, as if his main source was the American missionaries. I am particularly suspicious of writings that tout the "progress" that invaders bring to the "natives", especially when told from the point of view of the former.

Overall, read this book if you are a die-hard Twain fan, or have an interest in historical travel literature. Otherwise, your time will be better spent reading something else.

I had read strong reviews for this book, and bought it hoping for a good read. Perhaps this is indicative of over 140 years of transition of reading styles and ideas, but I found it a tough go and eventually gave up. The insights were terrific, but the style lengthly, wandering, and while amusing, simply more work and time than I wanted to devote to a modestly interesting read.